Maguindanao is a remote (and probably forgotten) province south of the Philippines. Its remoteness may have a hand in making politicians in this province think that they are the law. I can't truthfully say that I know how life is like in Maguindanao because I've always lived near Manila but what happened on Nov. 23 can't be normal for anyone living in any part of the world.

You know what else is shocking about this story? It is crazy that somehow they expected something like this to happen. That is the reason why Esmael Mangudadatu sent the women in his family together with journalists to file his certificate of candidacy. Women and non-family members are exempt from violence in the unofficial rules of rido (clan wars common in Muslim Mindanao). Obviously they overestimated the value that their enemy gives to honor. It's so barbaric the concept of rido. It's so middle-age. True, I have heard people in Luzon threathening their enemies to "ubusan ng lahi" (loosely translated to killing off the genes) but I have never heard about anyone making good on these threats.

I can't get my head around how people can participate in killing 57 people coldblood.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

I was a good girl today. I woke up early, cleaned the house, jogged, and then phoned home (ET, phone home...) . What I find very depressing, living in Zürich, is that all the shops are closed on Sundays. The only thing to do is to watch TV or to read a book. The problem is that I already wiped out all the books I bought recently, and there is nothing really interesting on TV. I am stuck. Hopefully, I recently discovered Amazon's Kindle. It's really cool. You can buy a book in digital format and you can get it in 30 seconds! No shipping costs! The only downside is that since I have no Kindle reader, I have to read the book from my computer (now, they have Kindle for PC). Well, anyway, I have a very close relationship with my computer so I guess we can get even closer. Me and my computer, we are together a lot. Thinking about it, it's funny that I think of my computer as a "he". I should try to name him. Enough blabbing. Anyway, so I am in a mood for a romantic kind of book and since I am still dreaming of a certain viking vampire (see previous post), I decided to search for "viking romance" in Amazon. I found one that I fancied. I see now, after internalizing the very cheesy cover of the book I just bought, another advantage of Kindle is that I can hide this book in my computer. No one will know that I bought this book because I don't have to keep it in the bookshelves in the study. Of course, I consider the contents of my library a reflection of my intellect. Owning a book with a really hot viking on the cover is a very big giveaway.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I am so over Twilight and Edward! I am now so addicted to the Sookie Stackhouse Novels and of course Eric Northman!I got interested in the Sookie Stackhouse novels or the Southern Vampire Mysteries because of the HBO series "True Blood". I did not like "True Blood". I found it boring even though they made it very gore. The novels are a big revelation! The writing is sharp, funny, and witty and the stories are fast paced and action packed. Charlaine Harris' characters are interesting and endearing. The novels are truly addictive!

I am now one of a few million people people wanting to know what will happen to Sookie and Eric. Obviously, I am an Eric fan! The talent of Ms Harris lies in making readers curious, she is a mystery writer after all. Not that she is not a good romance writer, when you think about it, the Sookie and Eric thing is just a side dish in the novels' plot lines but I don't think anyone who have read this series could take it for granted or forget about the shower scene in "Dead to the World "(book 4, hayyyyyy) and the witty exchanges between Sookie and Eric. Priceless! The fact is, after reading 9 books, I am still on pins and needles about book 10! I just can't wait to sink my fangs into it!

My only fear about this series is that Charlaine Harris will drag the series on until it gets boring. She will release book 10 in May and apparently there will be 3 more after that. Seriously, I don't know if I can wait that long to find out if Sookie and Eric will be together or if I can handle it if they don't get together! The problem is with 14 books to follow (released every year, so 14 years!), there's a lot of time and emotional involvement on the readers part not to get a satisfying ending. Unfortunately for me, there is only 1 way to satisfy me.

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About Me

I blog about life as I walk it. As a Filipina, I blog about the Philippines. As a biologist, I blog about nature. As a person, I blog about my feelings.Thank you for walking with me.
Email me at cathy@catswalks.com for your questions, suggestions or violent reactions.